Saturday, July 30, 2011

﻿I am ashamed to say that it took me until mid summer to make it over to the rail trail. I have waxed poetic about this neck of the woods in several posts but to summarize: this run is what running is all about. Babbling brook, breezy on the hottest of days, friendly folks, and very few hunters ( OK, there might have been one today but the shots helped my time tremendously).

I left it all on the field during this run (you runners out there know what I am talking about:) and it got me thinking about how rare it is that we allow ourselves to go right up to the edge of what we are capable of: physically, emotionally, or intellectually. Part of the problem is that many of us are busy raising kids or earning a living. Both honorable pastimes but they don't allow for edge-living. Now that I think of it, maybe edge living doesn't allow for the continuation of the species and so we are hard-wired to back off a wee bit.

When my sister heads off to Nicaragua, we carry around the worry for her safety. When my husband goes climbing in the mountains for the day, I reconfigure my life as a single mom...what would that look like? Part of me chides them for not letting go of regressive pursuits but when the fear subsides, I remember how important edge-living is to sustain us through everyday living.

So Roving Reporter and Maine Maverick, give 'em hell at the Spartan Challenge. Auntie T, read every book you get your hands on. And Scrappy, create until you drop. We all deserve a little edge living this summer, whatever that looks like.